160 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



In the following decade (1850-60) a great stride was made in 

 rendering the Begonia more popular. One of the principal 

 causes of this was the discovery and introduction of B. Bex 

 from North-east India, which followed closely upon the intro- 

 duction of B. xanthina, the forerunners of the broad-leaved race 

 of Begonias which have proved such valuable adjuncts for the 

 decoration of plant-houses. It is unfortunate that the parentage 

 of the most admired hybrids in this group was not recorded ; 

 and hence it is that those who wish to investigate the subject 

 find themselves, on the very threshold of it, in hopeless despair 

 of being able to elucidate it in anything like a satisfactory 

 manner. It is unfortunate, too, that during the period now 

 under review another element of confusion was introduced by 

 the distribution of many Begonias with parti-coloured foliage 

 under specific names to which they had not the slenderest right, 

 being mostly but variations of or seedlings from a commoner type. 

 Under B. xanthina var. Lazuli (Bot. Mag. t. 5107), Sir William 

 Hooker wrote : "To this group belong the Begonia Bex, the 

 B. amabilis, argentea, Victories, and Lazuli of Linden ; all these 

 belong to one and the same group, of which B. xanthina, from 

 Bhotan, may be considered the type, if it is not, as I am inclined 

 to suppose it is, the common parent of all, assisted, as may pro- 

 bably be the case also with the B. Bex, by a cross with some 

 pink-flowered species." This seems to be virtually all that we 

 know about the origin of this fine race ; and, although some- 

 what hypothetical, the passage quoted was written at a time 

 when the earliest seedlings were being distributed and when the 

 assumed parents were still comparatively new to cultivation. 

 Among the handsomest and most distinct of recent acquisitions 

 in this group is the variety called "Marie Louise." Of intro- 

 duced species a small-leaved one from Penang, detected by 

 Curtis, and, I believe, not yet named, is deserving of notice. It 

 is worthy of remark that in all the modern forms of hybrid 

 origin in this group, and probably in most of the earlier ones, 

 the yellow of B. xanthina has quite disappeared from the flowers, 

 a matter of no surprise to those who have experience in hybridi- 

 sation among other genera. 



We have now arrived at an epoch, which has been more 

 fruitful in horticultural results as regards this genus than any 

 that either preceded or followed it, for during the fifteen years 



